And Know I Will Not Let You Down
by Sara Jaye
Summary: The longer the war went on, the worse she seemed and he was getting worried.


This is my take on how it'd be if Rolf had an equal chance for special dialogues and ship tease with Mist in RD.

* * *

Even with all the war and politics and madness surrounding them, he'd noticed Mist seemed more than a little off lately. She seemed more tired and out of it, and for someone with as much energy as her even a _little_ tired was a sign something wasn't right. And he was sure he wasn't the only one noticing; if nobody else Ike, Jill and Titania must have as well.

It wasn't like him to play the worrywart, that was her job when it came to him. During the Mad King's War she'd tried so many times to get him to slow down, hold back, don't let himself be turned into a killing machine. _But I can't! If I stop killing any of you could die!_ And he still felt the same way, the only difference was now she understood.

So while part of him wanted to tell her to stop fighting, another part knew it'd just make her mad after the big deal they'd made about it three years ago. Besides, he was so used to her watching his back and looking out for him that it'd feel strange without her there.

He found her by the stables, looking a little pale as she fed her horse. His hand closed around the object he'd wanted to give her, still wondering if he should, _it's not like it'll go bad if she doesn't use it this minute, but..._

"Hey, Mist?" She turned around, slowly, as if it were a great effort for her. She seemed off-balance and he stepped over to prop her up. She smiled appreciatively, leaning against his shoulder.

"Oh, hey Rolf." She smiled, looking more like her usual self for a moment. "What's up?"

"Well...I've got something for you, first and foremost." He opened his hand to reveal the shiny red teardrop shape. "I found it a few battles ago and I thought maybe you could use it."

"Oh, an energy drop! I've been wanting one of these, my sword arm isn't what it should be lately."

"Yeah, I've noticed," he said. "Um, so I figured...you'd like it! Yeah!"

"Thanks, Rolf." She kissed his cheek, tucking it into her skirt pocket. "Is that all?" She leaned heavily on him and her breathing seemed a bit labored and sweat was collecting on her forehead. She looked awful, and it was starting to scare him.

"Are you sick?" he asked. "I mean, you're always tired after a battle or even a spar and I've seen you riding with Jill a lot outside of battles. Like walking's too much work for you." She tensed for a moment, then sighed, closing her eyes.

"I guess there's no point in pretending anymore," she muttered. "You're right, I feel awful. I don't know what it is but the more intense things get the worse I feel. But...but I'm not in that much pain! Just the headaches, and always being tired."

"That's still no good," he said, pulling her closer. "Maybe you should sit this one out and let Rhys take care of you. Soren and Ilyana can handle the healing, and-"

"No!" She cut him off. "No, I can't just lie back and wait for you. I-I need to be there."

"Mist, we know you're strong but even strong girls-"

"It's not that." She shook her head. "Rolf, I couldn't be there when my father died. Even if there was no way I could save him I would've liked to be with him in his last moments." Her fingers clutched his shirt; she felt warm against him and for a moment he wanted to pretend this was just a normal moment between a boy and a girl who liked each other, not the girl struggling to stay on her feet even as she wouldn't stay back from the fray.. "I don't ever want that to happen again. Even if the unthinkable happens and you or Ike or anyone else I love dies, I can at least be there to say goodbye."

"Aw, Mist..." Darn her, she sure had a way of making a guy tear up. He blinked them back and pulled her a little closer, smoothing her hair back. "There's no way I'm gonna talk you out of this, is there?"

"Nope." She smiled. "You of all people should understand." He blushed, again remembering the Mad King's War and her always begging him not to fight too hard.

"You're right," he said. "You win, Mist. I won't make you stay back if you don't want to. But don't leave my side, okay? For both our sakes." She nodded, clutching his shirt more tightly; not for balance now, but for comfort.

"And don't you do anything crazy either. Just because you're Shinon's equal now doesn't mean you get to throw yourself into danger," she warned. He couldn't help but smile at that.

"Gotcha."

He helped her gather her equipment and mount her horse, sitting behind her and locking his arms tightly around her waist. He wasn't a knight in shining armor and she didn't need one, but he was still going to look after her as best he could.


End file.
